Chapter V - Fighter Days, 1942 - 1946
Egypt 1941 – 1942
The Sqn, to quote an ex-Flt Cdr, had been ‘de-Greeced' and ‘ex-Creted' and reformed at Amiriya, soon converting to the Hurricane II’s. Offensive patrols, night fighter ops and bomber escort were the Sqn’s duties until February 1942 when the Sqn received orders to embark on HMS Indomitable alongside 261 Sqn to form a defence force to cover Cylon.
Cylon 1942 – 1944
On 6th March the Indomitable was some 50 miles from the Cylon coast when 20 Hurricanes were successfully launched by 30 Sqn. One pilot, Sgt Whittaker, found himself with a coolant leak and was faced with a decision to ditch or attempt a landing back on the carrier.
From ‘Flat Out’ by John Hamlin:
... twenty pilots of 30 Sqn were called upon to do something not one of them had done before (and would not do again): fly their Hurricanes off the deck of the carrier. All made good take-offs, but one aircraft, piloted by Sgt Whittaker, developed a glycol leak and decided to return, a very risky thing to do. With Indomitable steaming into wind at top speed, and crash barrier raised, Whittaker made one dummy approach and then touched down, bringing his Hurricane to a halt some fifteen yards from the barrier – without the benefit of an arrester hook! Fleet Air Arm pilots were ‘highly chuffed’ to see that this could be done with a Hurricane MkIIb, and made Whittaker an honorary deck instructor – with an ornate scroll to prove it!
HMS Indomitable
A armoured aircraft carrier
It is fair to claim perhaps that 30 Sqn was the first ever to land successfully, a land-based aircraft on a ship at sea.
Brought into immediate readiness in the early hours of Easter Sunday 5th April, in Ratmalana, the 36 pilots of 30 and 258 Sqns awaited the call. In spite of all precautions 30 Sqn, under Sqn Ldr G. F. Chater, DFC was caught on the ground at 0740 hours, with 8000feet to be climbed before the enemy bombers could be reached and with the protecting Zeros in a far superior position. The pilots rushed to their aircraft, engines burst into life and even as the enemy struck, Hurricanes began to rumble across the aerodrome into the air. At varied heights they fought their battle and when it died away the Sqn could claim 14 of the 18 enemy aircraft destroyed in air combat. But they had no easy task, and their losses were not light: 8 aircraft failed to return. One of the pilots, D. A. MacDonald, a Canadian, force-landed his Hurricane on Colombo’s marine promenade. He did so through a hail of ack-ack sent up by the city’s over enthusiastic gunners uncertain as to whether he was friend or foe. Anxious watchers were relieved to see MacDonald walk into the Colombo Club where he immediately called for a stiff drink!
With the attack successfully repulsed and the Sqn engaged on routine and training missions, the main enemy, as in 1916, was the climate. Throughout 1943 the task of holding on continued with little action to combat the monotony. Training was a poor substitute for a Sqn used to action.
Burma 1944 – 1945
The long wait continued until February 1944 when the Sqn moved to Burma and back into war. Withdrawn in June to convert to the Thunderbolt MkII, 30 Sqn carried out low-level ground attack and escort duties and saw action in the final offensive against Rangoon.
India 1945 – 1946
At the cessation of hostilities, the Sqn settled in India taking on charge of Tempest IIs and, moving to Bhopal, saw action against tribesmen of the NW Frontier. Earmarked for disbandment, the Sqn was reduced in strength until by December 1946 it was on a ‘numbers only’ status. Thus ended the longest period of service (31 years) spent overseas by a squadron of the Royal Air Force.